2 BOOK BUNDLE: Same Planet - Different World and The Loser, the Psycho, and the Retard
Ben Clabaugh
eBook
(Bentin Books, Dec. 10, 2013)
Book I: "Same Planet...Different World," a Mom's Choice Award winner and Transformational Author Contest finalist, is a story for kids and adults about loss, friendship, how quickly life can change, and how the quality of our lives is determined by how we choose to feel about those changes.David Fuller’s parents have uprooted him, moved him from his home and friends to a lame Midwest suburb at the beginning of summer. When a new family moves in next door with a boy David’s age, his mom forces him to hang out with the kid, Shelton—a wide-eyed weirdo who can’t catch a ball, stares at anthills for hours, and greets dogs by sniffing their butts. The word “special” comes to mind.Turns out, Shelton is as strange as he seems—but that’s not all bad. David’s ambivalence for Shelton morphs into wonder as he catches more and more glimpses of Shelton’s universe: an expansive, delicious balance of strangeness and familiarity, tension and serenity, and the ultimate oneness that entwines all things in a symphony of life. An unlikely friendship develops, and David begins to learn that whatever happens, it’s up to him to decide what it all means.But that lesson is tested when David notices men-in-black poking around, watching Shelton with telephoto lenses from inside dark, unmarked SUVs. Just how special is Shelton? What do these men want with him and what will they do to get it? The answers force David to make the most difficult decision of his life.The story of David and Shelton continues In Book II: The Loser, the Psycho, and the Retard, an action adventure story for kids and adults with a shocking twist about the folly of first impressions, the danger in underestimating your enemies, and the redemptive power of friendship.It’s the first day at a new school and David feels nervous, a little guilty, and, for the first time since his little sister, Janie died, optimistic. He is both nervous and optimistic because as “The New Kid” he knows he knows he has about 5 seconds to make a good impression, which could very well determine his social standing for life. He feels guilty because even though Shelton Skievaski was a good summer-time friend, the last thing he needs is to be seen walking into class with someone like, well--like Shelton.So when he arrives late with Shelton in tow, falls in love with Stacey, the prettiest girl in school (who turns out to belong to social alpha Kevin Ballard), then totally screws up with his teacher, the principal, and the gym coach, David figures he needs a change in strategy. Like a mountain man of the old west that has strayed deep into hostile territory, he must lay low, avoid attention, and above all, stay away from Shelton.At first, the plan works, sort of. But when he sees Kevin and his goons repeatedly tormenting Shelton and other, weaker, kids, he can’t help what happens next. Suddenly, David finds himself deeper, and deeper into trouble. It turns out that David’s enemies are more numerous, more devious, and more powerful than he could ever have imagined. He quickly realizes he needs all the help he can get. His plan now? Simple. Survive.